


Finding It There

by Willow_Angel



Series: 100 Themes Challenge Writing [1]
Category: Bakugan Battle Brawlers
Genre: (sorry not sorry Ladee), Fluff, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I think my beta will die from all the diabetes I'm giving her, M/M, Mentions of Violence, More Fluff, Why can't I let go of this fandom, ambiguous universe: bakugan or no bakugan? who knows? not I, depictions of injuries, soft, this is honestly just soft fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 15:59:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13438242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Willow_Angel/pseuds/Willow_Angel
Summary: Shun had always prided himself on having good judgement at all times, no matter the situation at hand. He had always been able to take a step back, survey the situation and make the best decision he could. That was a trait of himself that he had to learn on his own the hard way, and it had gotten him out of many bad situations.And then… and then there was Dan.





	Finding It There

**Author's Note:**

> Two prompts from the 100 Themes Challenge Writing Prompts:  
> List 1: "Judgement", List 2: "Agitation".  
> Prompted by my lovely friend and beta @Lady_Banana who has never seen this show but for some reason read over this for me anyway! Love you Ladee!
> 
> I first watched this show many years ago (I was 11 or something), and I haven't been able to let go of it. It's hopeless. So I rewatched the first season in three days and found myself in love with this ship now that I know that being gay is even a thing lmao *gay finger guns*
> 
> So, here is my dive back into the Bakugan world.
> 
> I hope you enjoy! Bakugan brawl! (I'm so cheesy, but I don't care)
> 
> (Title from "Finding It There" by Goldmund.)

Shun had always prided himself on having good judgement at all times, no matter the situation at hand. He had always been able to take a step back, survey the situation and make the best decision he could. That was a trait of himself that he had to learn on his own the hard way, and it had gotten him out of many bad situations.

And then… and then there was Dan. Dan, his best friend, the one who stood by him through thick and thin. Dan, the boy with quite possibly the worst judgemental skills Shun had ever seen in a person. No, scratch that, Shun rarely saw worse judgemental skills. Honestly, just watching the kid wore Shun out both physically and mentally. But still, Dan was Shun’s best friend and it was Shun’s job as Dan’s best friend to keep him in check.

Shun had gotten Dan out of all sorts of situations: fights at school, arguments on the streets or arguments in stores (or arguments with Runo). The boy was quite the discourse magnet, and it was all Shun could do to pull him out of there, sometimes quite literally. Being all worked up, Dan would miss the comments about “There he goes again,” or “That Kazami boy is always getting that Dan out of trouble,” or “Those two boys are truly inseparable!”

Shun didn’t miss any of them. Shun heard every word, and it took him way too long to realise that he loved every word. He loved it every time someone commented on how they were always together, or how Shun was the mother friend to Dan.

If Shun had constant good judgement, then Dan had constant agitation. Dan was the anxiety you feel when going to the hospital, as well as the nervous excitement when you go on a rollercoaster. He was the one who showed up at Shun’s house in the middle of the night just to bring cookies, or to sit on the roof and look at the stars, or to drag him out to run around the city in the moonlight. Dan was the one to drag him out to new places, eyes sparkling with that nervous excitement.

But Shun? Shun was the one to talk Dan down from his anger, to stop him from standing too close to an edge, the one to take care of Dan when he was sick and not taking care of himself. Shun was the one reigning the reckless teenager in – letting him have his fun and get into trouble, but keeping him safe. Shun was the calm before the storm.

But, as with all ropes stretched too thin, eventually things will snap and change forever – for the better, or for worse.

Shun was awake that night. He was sitting in his room with a candle by his bed, reading a book and relishing the soft silence. He wasn’t exactly sure what hour it was, but surely it was well past midnight, so why were the obvious padding footsteps of Dan sounding outside his window? Shun sighed and stood up, going to the window to let him in before he knocked, possibly attracting the attention of Shun’s grandfather.

Dan’s outline was dark against the clear night sky behind him. “Mornin’!” Dan greeted, quietly but cheerfully.

“Morning,” Shun replied, rolling his eyes and stepping out of the way to allow Dan into his room. Dan climbed in, silently and with obvious practice, and landed with a soft _thud_ on Shun’s wooden floor. “What’s up?”

Dan shrugged. “Wanted to see you.”

Shun raised an eyebrow. That wasn’t suggestive at all. “Any particular reason?” he asked.

“Well,” Dan began, but quickly trailed off. “There might be one reason.” He laughed nervously, walking over to Shun’s bed and purposely avoiding his gaze.

Shun furrowed his brow. “Yes?” he prompted, worried.

Dan sighed, then spun around and sat on Shun’s bed. “You got any idea how to hide bruises and cuts?” he asked, finally lifting his head and meeting Shun’s eyes. Shun stilled. In the candlelight, Shun would finally see Dan’s face. There was a cut going through one of his eyebrows, blood still slowly dripping down his face, and there was a nasty-looking mark on his jaw. Shun glanced down at Dan’s hands, which were folded in his lap, and clenched his fists upon seeing the split knuckles and bruises that littered them.

“You didn’t,” Shun said incredulously. There was no way Dan actually got in a full-on fistfight. Surely nobody was stupid enough to do that. Dan shrugged, a guilty and sheepish smile on his face. Shun walked over and sat next to Dan, placing a hand under his chin and tilting his head around slowly, trying to get a better look at the injuries. “What happened?” he demanded.

Dan shrugged again, and Shun dropped his hand. “I needed to clear my head, so I snuck out for a walk. I was actually on my way here when I got cornered by those bozos from school. You know the ones.” Shun knew exactly who Dan was talking about. “They picked a fight. Honestly, I didn’t start it, I didn’t even swing first. I told them to get lost and they threw me to the ground. I didn’t have much of a choice.”

Shun’s hands clenched into fists again. He saw red. He stood up. “I’m going to get you some bandages,” he said shortly, and marched out of the room.

He didn’t think anybody would really be that stupid. Did they not know who Dan was, who _Shun_ was? Shun could hang them from trees by their ankles before they had time to think. How _dare_ they hurt Dan? The nerve!

When Shun got back to his room he was physically restraining himself from trembling from anger, and he saw that Dan was holding a tissue over his eye. “When did this happen?” he asked.

Dan was silent for a minute. “Maybe fifteen minutes ago?”

“You waited fifteen minutes to tell somebody?” Shun bit his lip to stop his voice from rising. Dan looked at Shun, seeming a little scared, and Shun immediately felt guilty. Shun tried to relax. “Sorry. But why did you wait so long?” He poured some disinfectant on a cloth.

“I didn’t know where to go, really. It was back home and make my mom worry, to Runo and get yelled at by her, to Marucho and get berated by him and his extensive vocabulary, or… to you. In the end, here seemed like best option.” He hissed as Shun took his hand and put the cloth over it.

“Sorry,” Shun apologised again. “I’ll bandage these in a minute.”

“All good, thanks,” Dan replied. “Are you okay?”

What? Shun blinked. “You’re the injured one here, Dan,” he pointed out.

Dan raised his eyebrows. “And you’re the one with shaky hands.” Shun looked down, and indeed saw that his hands were shaking as he cleaned off Dan’s cuts. “You’re not… you’re not mad at me, are you?” Dan’s voice was small, and Shun looked up to see Dan biting his lip, looking anxious.

Shun’s grip on Dan’s hand tightened a little. “No. I’m mad at _them_.” He gritted his teeth. “They shouldn’t have come near you.”

Dan smirked. “What, you gonna find them and kick their butts with your ninja prowess?” he teased.

“I will,” Shun met Dan’s eyes, “if it teaches them a lesson.”

“Wait.” Dan’s smile fell and his eyes widened. “You’re not serious, are you?” Shun didn’t answer. “You are. Holy crap.” Shun put the cloth aside and began winding a bandage around Dan’s knuckles, still unable to stop his hands from shaking slightly. “Would you really do that for me?”

Shun looked back up to see Dan’s shocked expression. “What, defend my best friend? Of course I would.”

“You know what I meant. Would you really go after them because I got in a fight with them?”

Shun hesitated. Didn’t Dan get it? If anyone got in a fight with one of them, they got in a fight with both of them. It was… it was just how Shun and Dan worked. It was how they’d always worked. No matter how much they might argue or stir each other up, that was just how it was between them. Shun was happy with that, even if it never changed. There was no question whether Shun would find the people who hurt Dan and make them wish they’d never come near him, because Dan would do the same for him in a heartbeat.

Shun’s expression hardened. “Of course I would,” he repeated firmly.

Dan slowly brought his hand down from his eye. Shun noticed that the tissue had a large red stain on it, but the cut itself didn’t seem to be bleeding as badly anymore. Dan’s hand came up to rest on top of Shun’s. “Hey,” he said softly. “I’m here, aren’t I? I’m in one piece.” He smiled a little. “For the most part, anyway, but I’m okay. You don’t need to rush off and defend my honour, as much as I appreciate that.”

“Dan…” he trailed off. He looked down at their hands, how they were holding each other. “I won’t forgive them.”

“Hey, let’s not worry about it right now. Let’s just patch me up and sleep it off, okay?”

Shun took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds, then exhaled slowly and nodded. The two sat in a comfortable, if a little tense, silence as Shun finished up. As Shun put aside the spare bandages he asked, “Are you going back home? I can walk you back if you like.”

“Well, actually,” Dan sounded a little sheepish, and Shun looked up to see his expression the exact same, “I was hoping you’d let me stay here the night? I’ll call my mom in the morning, but I’m bushed.”

Shun nodded. “Yeah, that’s cool.”

Dan brightened immediately. “Sweet!” Before Shun could say anything else, Dan leaned forward and put his forehead on Shun’s shoulder. “Thanks, man,” he said, and Shun could hear the tiredness creeping into his voice already.

“D-Do you,” Shun stuttered, surprised, “do you want me to set you up a bed, or…?”

Dan sighed. “Nah, I’m good here if you are,” he replied.

Shun fought down a blush. “Ah, okay,” he said uncertainly. And with that, Dan shoved him down on the bed so they were both lying down, and soon enough Shun found himself with Dan’s head resting on his chest. Shun’s arms encircled Dan seemingly on instinct – one arm around his waist, the other hand in Dan’s hair – as if protecting him, and Dan sighed contentedly as their legs tangled together.

“Thanks, Shun,” Dan mumbled into his chest. The vibrations went through Shun’s entire body, and he repressed a shiver.

Taking a chance, Shun took one of Dan’s hands and brought it to his mouth, kissing it softly. He smiled when Dan sighed again, shifting up to burrow his face into the crook of Shun’s neck. “You’re welcome, Dan,” Shun murmured in reply, placing Dan’s hand back by his side and returning his own hand to Dan’s hair, carding his fingers through it gently. They stayed like that until Dan fell asleep.

Perhaps Dan wasn’t all agitation, Shun thought solemnly, and perhaps he himself wasn’t all good judgement. But still, they levelled each other out in a way that nobody else could.

Comforted by that thought and the feeling of Dan in his arms, Shun felt the rage drain out of him. Suddenly exhausted, he let himself drift off into a peaceful sleep.

 

The two will soon wake up with the sun, and they will smile at each other, content and happy with the world in that moment.

**Author's Note:**

> Ability activate: cherishing any comments and kudos you might leave if you enjoyed! Thank you <3


End file.
